Each Year, Senior-Level Television Students Are Chosen To Carry On The Tradition Of Making This Complex Telethon A Reality

The 15th Annual Friends of Max Kolb Telethon

15

Years Running

65218

Pledged

2016 Production Team

Jenson Kassay

Producer

Jenson Kassay is a senior working on her Bachelor of Arts degree in Video/Television Production. She is currently the producer of “Sports Beat”, Hofstra's 30 minute live sports broadcast show, and an intern at We Fly Coach production company. When she is not producing Jeni is an active member of HEAT, directing “Thursday Nite Live”, and spends all of the free time she has hanging out with her dog and watching T.V. After she graduates, Jeni plans to keep working in the industry and work her way up to become a producer for live-action television programming. Jeni is extremely happy to keep the Max Kolb name in everyone's thoughts for the fifteenth year of this telethon's production. She is glad to work with such a dedicated team and can't wait to show the world the production that is The 15th Annual Friends of Max Kolb Telethon.

James White

Director

James White is a senior majoring in Video/Television and Business. He works closely with the HEAT Network directing and associating directing shows, such as “Sports Beat” and “Thursday Nite Live”. James was also one of two directors for “For Your Island”, a magazine-style television show. He is a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society. James interned for an independent baseball league, often doing camera work. His dream is to be a television director for NHL sports games. James is very excited to be a part of the Max Kolb Telethon for a second straight year and hopes to make the most out of this opportunity.

Peter R. Gershon

Faculty Advisor

In a teaching career spanning 40 years, Dr. Peter Gershon has won four distinguished teaching awards at the University level. He has directed and produced two documentaries for public television, but his effect on the television industry is much greater, with former students in every facet of television and advertising from NY to LA. This past January, he again accompanied twelve of the best students in the LHSOC for the second annual “Hofstra in LA Program”. He was the LHSOC’s 2004 and 2015 “Distinguished Teacher of the Year” and has been involved with The Friends of Max Kolb Telethon since its inception in 2001. His hope for this year’s telethon is the same as it is every year: that it continues to provide a lifeline for those who might otherwise be forced to choose between their love of film-making, and paying the bills.

Kimberly Gazdek

Production Manager

Kimberly is a junior B.S Video/Television and Business Major at Hofstra University. She is an associate producer for “Two Weeks Notice”, a newly proposed show for the HEAT Network. She has spent many hours as an associate director and stage manager for various LHSOC shows. Kimberly has been a part of WRHU, radio Hofstra University for the past 2 years. She also spends her time as a Resident Assistant for first year students and a teaching assistant in the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. Kim is very excited to serve as Production Manager for the 15th Annual Max Kolb Telethon along side the rest of the team!

Avalon Bohunicky

Premiums and Fundraising Manager

Avalon Bohunicky is a senior Video/TV and Business student working as the Premiums and Fundraising Manager for the Max Kolb Telethon. She currently interns at Viacom on the Integrated Marketing Team for their in-house agency Velocity. She has past experience working as an assistant at a production company called Working Pictures, based in Albany. As an active member of HEAT, she is the Director of Social Media for “Director’s Cut” and head of set design for “Thursday Night Live”. Avalon was also the head writer of “For Your Island”, a magazine-style show featuring unique places on Long Island. She plans to work in television advertising after graduation, channeling her efforts in both the creative and sales departments.

Benjamin Lapinig

Package Producer

Benjamin Lapinig is a senior B.S. Video/TV major at Hofstra University. Heavily involved with multiple HEAT network shows, such as “Sports Beat”, “Hofstra Today”, and “Thursday Nite Live”, serving in a variety of capacities, from technical director to camera operator, Benjamin is still eager to expand his knowledge and skills as a television producer. He hopes to one day work in sports television, having already been an active member in Pride Productions.

Tricia Good

Technical Assistant

Tricia Good is a senior B.S. Video/Television major and Computer Applications & Digital Media Design minor at Hofstra University. Tricia is the production manager for “Hofstra Today” and is actively involved in crewing other HEAT shows, such as “Thursday Nite Live” and “Sports Beat”. She works as a technical assistant in both the Television and Journalism departments at The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. In addition to her work at Hofstra, Tricia was a Product Specialist Intern at ChyronHego. Tricia completed Advanced Television Production II in the Spring of 2015 where she produced a short animated web series. She was the Chyron operator for the 14th Annual Friends of Max Kolb Telethon and is excited to be returning as the technical assistant for the Spring of 2016. She looks forward to working with her classmates one last time before embarking on life as a Hofstra graduate.

Premiums are key to the success of the telethon. These items are collected from a large spectrum of local and national organizations and used as Thank You gifts– incentive and reward for those who pledge monetary donations online and during the live broadcast. All kinds of premiums are accepted and can take the form of tickets to events, specialized clothing, restaurant gift certificates, services, experiences, or any other type of gift certificates and consumers goods.